Catholic leaders in Savannah to discuss priest sex abuse scandals

By Jan Skutch
Savannah Morning News
February 25, 2017

http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-02-25/catholic-leaders-savannah-discuss-priest-sex-abuse-scandals

Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Savannah

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta

A three-day conference of Catholic church leaders will convene in Savannah beginning Sunday to discuss the church’s ongoing response to protecting children and youth in the wake of priest sex abuse scandals.

The 2017 Child and Youth Protection Catholic Leadership Conference will feature a number of speakers, including Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta who is co-hosting the event with Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Savannah.

Gregory, then bishop in Belleville, Ill., was head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops when the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” was adopted in Dallas in 2002.

The charter is a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. It also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse.

In comments in a letter prepared for the conference, Hartmayer said the theme for this year’s conference is “hospitality.”

“This year will be the 12th convocation since the passage (of the charter) in 2002,” he said. “Over the years we have worked hard to protect our most vulnerable, but the job is never complete.

“We learn from the pain and suffering of survivors and we educate as many adults and children as possible on how they can help us prevent this sin from occurring again.”

He said the conference aims to bring “community, education and insight into both the history and future trends of safe environments in our Catholic communities across the country.”

Also scheduled to speak are the Rev. Hans Zollner, president of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University; and Msgr. Robert Oliver, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, both at the Vatican.

The session will kick off with an opening Mass at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Bishop Emeritus J. Kevin Boland of the Savannah Diocese will join Hartmayer and Bishop Edward J. Burns of the Dallas diocese to celebrate the Mass.

Burns is chairman of the Catholic Bishop Office of Child and Youth Protection.